b'Meeting Rural Communities Where TheyAlready TrustWinton says Rural Minds is built on a simple premise: trust is local.You cannot expect people in rural America to go somewhere foreign to them and open up, Winton says. They want to be met where they are.Rather than creating new systems from scratch, the organization works through existing, trusted institu-tions such as churches, agricultural organizations and long-standing community groups.Were not asking people to change who they are, Winton says. Were bringing the conversation to places they already trust.That philosophy extends to youth. Rural Minds is piloting peer-to-peer programs in partnership with FFA, 4-H and rural school districts, recognizing that Winton stands with his dairy herd at sunrise on his family farm, where the lossyoung people often turn first to each other.of his nephew to suicide inspired the creation of Rural Minds and its missionYoung people are more likely to talk to other to confront stigma in rural communities. young people than to parents or teachers, Winton says. Were helping them be the eyes and ears of their communities.The organization has also launched a mental health program for veterinarians, a profession with elevated suicide risk and deep connections to farm families.Theyre often the ones seeing stress up close, Winton says. And they need support too.A Leadership Moment for Seed CompaniesFor seed companies, the message is clear. Mental health can no longer be treated as a private issue employees navigate alone.The workforce that develops, produces and deliv-ers seed lives in the same rural communities facing provider shortages, economic pressure and persistent stigma.This is about leadership, Winton says. Its about creating an environment where people know they can speak up before a crisis.That leadership does not require companies to have all the answers. It requires permission.When leaders say, This is okay to talk about, eve-rything changes, Winton says.The work remains deeply personal for him.I miss my nephew every day, he says. But I feel his presence because Im doing what I know he would want us to do.Resilience will always matter in agriculture. The A fourth-generation dairy farmer, Jeff Winton works from his family farm inchallenge now is ensuring it no longer comes at the western New York, grounding Rural Minds national advocacy in lived ruralcost of silence.SWexperience.14/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2026'